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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

an anti anxiety med for a 61 year old woman. Any suggestions?

L

ldawg616

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Jan 25, 2012
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houston tx
My mom is always stressed out and i want her to relax because she's always so shaky and worries too much, but a benzo will be too much for her, she needs something light like atarax, but she gets creepy feeling from benadryl and i hear atarax and benadryl are kinda similar so idk about that. Are there any other non benzo anti anxiety meds that you have to get a script for but the medicine isnt tha strong?
 
You could try natural alternatives first - such as valerian or l-theanine. These work wonders for many people and are non-RX.

Should this fail you could try buspar. It's very effective at treating anxiety disorders, and you could also mix it with valerian/l-theanine for a more therapeutic effect. I highly agree that benzos are not a good idea and highly respect you for not giving them to her. Well done.
 
Antihistamines like atarax or vistiril didn't help me that much. My doctor prescribed them to help me sleep because he didn't want me on benzos. That didn't work very well. Maybe have her see her GP and he can recommend something helpful even if it's herbal supplements.
 
thx ,she takes lexapro too, i think somthing like buspar could work for her. I just hope he can give it to her because he's kinda douchy about things like that
 
buspar is not very effective; id really like to see your sources on this synthetix. It is a horrible medication that at best does nothing. Its the SSRI of anxiolytics IMO. For a 61 year old woman i dont see how valium would be too much for her, she's not going to get barred out and go out and do crazy shit. Benzos are subtle at therapeutic doses. At that age id recommend therapy and a benzo but hey i'm no doctor.
 
Well my sources is from personal use. I found it to be very helpful in fighting my anxiety symptoms and also helped me sleep very well. It took about a week for its full potential to be established and I noticed a drastic reduce of my anxiety symptoms. As you know I am very anti-benzos. They aren't meant to be used for long term and in this case I think the OP is after a long term solution. They are very addictive for people who suffer from anxiety disorders in particular as they are an instant fix and cure. What fails to be mentioned is the horrible withdrawal if you wish to come off them and the depersonalisation they cause.

You say that she is currently on lexapro, and buspar is augmented with SSRIs to help treat anxiety and depression quite regularly actually.

If you really wanted to use Valium I'd suggest 2mg doses. In the elderly benzos are usually more potent as well. But again id look and consider all the alternatives before jumping on benzo therapy.
 
I guess it depends on what effect you're looking for. Beta-blockers are good at stopping the physical symptoms of anxiety without making you feel "good", but realistically medication is mostly a bridge when it comes to anxiety disorders and true, long-term relief comes from psychotherapeutic intervention which teaches the person to reduce and manage stress and to not feed and engage anxiety-producing thoughts. CBT is the gold standard for identifying erroneous thought patterns which produce an anxiety response and there are a multitude of techniques for diminishing that response.

Benzos can be effective if they're only used PRN for a short period of time but they don't address the underlying disorder in any way - pretty much the only thing which does that is reducing real stressors and learning not to engage imaginary ones - they shouldn't be seen as a long-term option, especially in the elderly.
 
indeed, very true, benzo's can also aggravate dementia in older patients i forgot to add. i know a 2mg dose of diazepam is unlikely to do so - but still a very prominent risk.
 
You haven't mentioned whether your mother has any physical health issues for which she's taking medication or which might have an impact on her emotional and psychological state. The primary focus of elder care is maximising functioning, independence and quality of life so if your mother is beginning to develop complex needs in those areas then you may need to seek out providers who specialise in elder care rather than general adult care.
 
synthetix said:
You could try natural alternatives first - such as valerian or l-theanine. These work wonders for many people and are non-RX.

Should this fail you could try buspar. It's very effective at treating anxiety disorders, and you could also mix it with valerian/l-theanine for a more therapeutic effect. I highly agree that benzos are not a good idea and highly respect you for not giving them to her. Well done.
Click to expand...


QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

L-Theanine and L-Glutamine, EASILY. Will have MANY other positive affects as well.
 
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